Someone To Talk To
by DTs Rock On
Summary: Dante and Lucia have a chat over a board game.


The small round white piece of wood made a gentle clacking sound as it jumped over similar sized black pieces. Delicate fingers picked up the darker pieces as an evil laugh mixed with a deep groan.

"How do you keep managing to win like that, Lucia?" Dante asked, looking glumly at the small stack of white pieces placed by his side of the board. A miniscule amount compared to the pile of his pieces she'd managed to snag.

Vergil looked up, his attention caught by the noise.

"I could tell that she's always played checkers with Matier," he said.

"Yeah, but she got so good neither of us could win against her," Nero sighed. Lucia giggled.

"Maaaaaaan," Dante whined. "One more game? I know I can beat you, I just know I can!"

"Oh, alright," the pink-haired woman smiled and began to replace the pieces on the board.

Kyrie looked up from some sewing she had been working on.

"Mind if I watch?" she asked. Lucia moved over in the large chair she was sitting in and patted the empty space. Kyrie smiled and moved to sit beside her.

"Would you like to go first?" the swordswoman offered.

"Hunnies first," Dante smiled, gesturing for her to begin the game. Kyrie rolled her brown eyes and Vergil and Nero turned their attention back to boredrom, knowing what the game's result would be. "So, Dante," Lucia said, moving a piece forward. "How'd you become a gunslinger and a swordsman?"

"Huh?" the silver-haired man asked, puzzled. He made his next move while waiting for Colette to elaborate.

"Well, I figure, you know, you weren't all that good at studying apart from at one subject you said, so I figured if you managed to learn the skills you have as well as you did you must have been interested in it," Lucia moved another piece forward.

"Well, I, uh," Dante said, seeming as thought he didn't want to talk about it. As a way to get out of answering he advanced another piece.

"Is it because you wanted to help people?" Lucia asked. "That's OK. I'd like to help people who are poorly by being able to use your kind of skills too, only I can't seem to learn any." She clacked a piece forward.

"Well, uh," Dante scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "Promise this doesn't go beyond you two?" he asked in a low voice as he glanced around the room to check no one else was listening. No one was. Lucia and Kyrie nodded.

"Y'see," he began, leaning over the board so he was closer to the girls. "My bro's never been that powerful and, you know, as his brother, I figured I should do what I could to protect her," he said, his voice trailing off. He turned his attention to the board again.

"Besides, I guess it does kinda feel good to help people." Clack, another of his pieces moved.

Lucia looked thoughtful. She'd noticed he'd said the last sentence in a different tone, perhaps like he hadn't quite meant it. She glanced at Kyrie, who also seemed to be contemplating this information. The daughter of Matier wondered whether the honey-brown haired songstress had noticed the tone change.

Clack

Lucia sensed that Dante was a little uncomfortable with this conversation topic and she liked people to be happy. She went for a topic change as the Red Man contemplated his next move.

"I think maybe your experience as a half-demon half-human was a lot different to mine; being an agile woman that's actually a maniquine," she said. "I mean I was always fussed over, hardly trusted to do anything on my own. You could even leave Devil May Cry at night to, well, do whatever it was you did," Lucia said, still clueless as to the nature of Dante's nocturnal adventures. Kyrie made a mental note to have a talk with Lucia later. She suspected the girl's education lacked in some areas which could be important.

A little more comfortable with this new conversation topic, Dante made his move and began to talk as Lucia surveyed the checker board.

He frowned as Lucia moved a white piece forward, she had that 'I'm winning' glint in her eye again.

"What was it like to have that much freedom? I always found it frustrating being so smothered. I mean, sure, I was allowed to spend time with my friends and Matier, but I wasn't always allowed to join in. Like I wasn't allowed to go swimming with Trish and Nero in case I drowned or something I guess. But a part of me suspected it was because I'm a woman," Lucia said as she stuck her tongue out and wrinkled up her nose in an annoyed face.

Dante's expression became worried and he regretted the move he'd just made as Lucia moved one of her pieces forward and the beginnings of a grin joined the eye glint on her face.

"I dunno," he said. "I mean I didn't know anything different. I guess I had a lifestyle loads of guys crave, and that was kinda cool. But, I dunno, sometimes, especially now I'm seeing more of the worlds, it feels like there's something missing."

Lucia noticed him glance at Kyrie when he said the last part, but decided not to mention it, it seemed an uncomfortable topic. _Besides, she was close to winning again,_ she thought, and she didn't want Dante accusing her of winning by distracting him with conversation. So the game continued in friendly silence.

The swordswoman even noticed Kyrie was being particularly quiet, like she was trying to work something out.

_She and Dante hasn't talked to eachother since we started playing Checkers, _Lucia thought, as she grinned and moved one stop closer to victory, that Dante often didn't mean it when he argued, especially with Kyrie and the other women.

Dante moved to take one of Lucia's pieces and then pulled a horrified expression when he saw the grin turn into a smirk. Kyrie was grinning as well, that couldn't be good.

"Would you like to do the honours, Kyrie?" Lucia offered, gesturing at the board. Kyrie grinned, nodded and swept one of Lucia's pieces around all of Dante's remaining ones.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Dante made a noise of disgust and disappointment.

"She beat you again huh?" Nero sniggered.

"Ohhh, you little brat, come here!" Dante yelled as he leapt up from the chair and ran towards Nero.

_Yes_, thought Lucia as Dante grabbed Nero and fiercely, but playfully rubbed his knuckle against the top of the younger boy's head, messing up his silver hair. Dante didn't always mean it when he argued.


End file.
